Internal-combustion engine



H. COLNOT INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed Apr. 26, 1922 2 shee'ts-sheetl Apr. 10, 1923.

I 1. COLNOT INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed Apr. 26, 1922 -2 sheets-sheet 2 lrwezzrbon E (300002;

40 open the valve, the push-piece 7 descends and Patented Apr. 10, 1923. 7

HENRI GOLNOT,1 or PARIS, FRANCE.

. p INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that I, HENRI. CoLNo'r. acitizen of the Republic of France, and residing at Paris, Seine Department, No. 17 Rue Rochechouart, in the Republic of. France, engineer, have invented certain new, and useful Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following isv a specification.

-'My invention relates to an internal corn; bustion engine and particularly to a new valve gear arrangement for four-cycle engine accordingto the invention.

gines. The essential characteristic of the invention consists in the fact that the usual valves are replaced by spheres or balls, thus simplifying the construction of the valve itself, the" valve, seat and the controlling means. 'Inparticular, the. use of gears for valve operation can be obviated.

The accompanyingdrawing shows by way of example a form of construction of an en Fig. l is a vertical section. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the A-A Fig. 1. a

Figs. 3 andtare plan viewszofthe details line - ofthe valve control devices.

1 is the engine cylinder provided. with a water jacket and having movable therein the piston 2 actuatingthe crank shaft? The admission port 4 and exhaust port 5 are each adapted to be opened and closed by a ball 6 which is entirely freev and is actuated by *a' push-piece 7 having areciprocating motion.

and slidable in a guide-way 8. The ball rests on the top of the said push-piece 7 solely by its own weight. When the push-piece 7 rises it lifts up the balland presses the same'upon its-seat,acting in the rear of the latter sothat no movement can take placeas long as thevalve is required to be kept closed. To

theball will now fall by its own weight either for the admission of fresh gas or for the escape of burnt gas. v When the ballhas thus fallen, the gas passage is entirely free and the flow will take place in a direct manner and without change -of direction between the admissionor exhaustpassage and the cylinder, which is a favourable circumstance, ,since losses *of' attended by l corresponding pressure are losses of ener y.

The balls ar e actuated through the inter niediary of a cam shaft 9, and, to obviateas much as possible all drive by means ofgearing, the cam shaft is actuated from the Application filed April 26, 1922. Serial No. 556,698.

' power shaft 3 bya connecting rod 10. The

shaft 9 rotates at the same speed asthe power shaft 3, but as the present case relates to a four-cycle engine, the actuating elements should be so constituted that each valve shall only open at every alternate revolution of the power shaft or the cam H shaft. V For this purpose the shaft 9'is provided with a cam 11 acting on a bell-crank 12 which is pivoted: to a fixed axle 13and' whereof the rollerlt is pressed againstthe profile of the cam by a'springj 15. The opposite end of this lever ends in a fork lfi. The push-piece 7-is secured. to the end of a rod 17 slidable in a lug l8'securedto the crank-case. A spring19 disposed between the lug 18 and the push-piece 7 tendsto hold the latter in the raised position. I I

Upon the lower end ofthe rod17is slidable and revoluble the sleeve 20whose outer surface is provided with threeribsa21 extending throughout the whole length ,of the said sleeve. The latter is slidable in the hub of a gear wheel 22 disposed between two bearings 23 which" prevent the lengthwise movement of the same. The teeth of the.

said gear wheele'ngage" the threaded portion of a cam 24 of special shape which acts as a worm in. cooperation with the gearwheel 22; The threads of the. cam: 2 1v are straight upon the greaterparti of the profile and thus form approximately circular grooves 25 connected together by'a passage 26 having the shape of screw-thread whereby the said gear wheel shallbe given an intermittent rotary motion and will rotate by one-sixth 'of'a'revolution for each revolution ofthe shaft 9. The fork 16 of the bell -crank l2is so disposed: as to bear at times upon the end of the ribs 21 or at other I times in the spaces betweenthe said ribs.

follows: I I

Under the action of the cam 11 and spring 15, the bell-crank -12 will oscillate once in The operation of the said mechanismisas I either direction forv each revolution of the driving shaft. But, the valve should only,

open at every'other revolution of the power shaft, assis required for the four-cycle engine. When the valve is tobeopened, the sleeve 20 with the ribs 21' should be in the position shownin Fig.- 4:. The fork 16 of the bent lever is caused; ,t0'-bear uponthe end of two. ribs and it lowers the sleeve 20, which'latter. draws the push-piece? by means of the stop-piece 27., The ball 6 now falls by its own weight and opens the port.

For exceptional speeds, the said ball could be caused to descend with the push piece if so desired, by suitable means such. for example as a spring driving the ball downwards, or by an extension of the pushpiece disposed above the ball, or the like.

The valve is closed by the spring 19 which raises the push-piece 7 and the ball as soon as the cam 11 permits this action. When the valve is to remain closed, either during the-compression, explosion and exhaust in the case of the admission valve, or during the suction, compression and explosion in the case of the exhaust valve, the sleeve 20 should occupy the position shewn in Fig.3. In this position, one of the ribs 21 can engage between the branches of the fork 16 so that the oscillation given to the bell-crank 12 by the cam 11 during the second revolution of the power shaft can take place without acting on the sleeve 20, thereby leaving theiball 6 in the closed position. I The cam 24 mounted onthe shaft 9 serves precisely to place the sleeve 20 in the two desired positions. Thelatter isprovided with three ribs in the present case, and

therefore the fractional parts of a rotation should have the value of one-sixth of a rotation. When the wheel 22 contains twelve teeth, the cam 24: should have a double thread. As long as the teeth of the wheel22 engagethe straight parts of the thread,vthe wheel and the sleeve will re- .main fixed. During this period at the moment of opening the valve,-.the bell-crank acts upon the sleeve, and during the closing of the valve it oscillates freely.

The oblique portions26 of the cam act upon the teeth of'the wheel 22 only at the moment when the roller 14' reaches the base of the cam, that is to say when the sleeve 20 and lever 12 are at the end of the up stroke. The wheel 22 now rotates rapidly, and it stops when the cam 11 again acts upon the lever 12. It is obvious that the inven tion is not limited to the embodiment hereinbefore described, and that the principle a as set forth can be carried intoeffect by the means for controlling the said balls.

2. In an internal combustion engine, a powercyl1nder,a piston, engine valves constituted by spherical balls, seats formed in the walls of the cylinder and cooperating with the said balls, a push-piece for each ball having a reciprocating motion and comprising an inclined plane adapted to impel the ball upon its seat and to hold it in this position, and a lateral guide for the said push-piece against which the latter' is caused to bear in order to hold the said ball in the fixed position against the internal pressure.

3. In an internal combustion engine, a power cylinder, a piston, engine valves constituted by balls, seats formed'in the walls of the cylinder and cooperating with the said balls, a push-piece for each ball having a reciprocating motion and adapted to impel the ball upon its seat and to hold it in this position, the said engine valves being adapted to open by the action of grav- 1ty when the respective push-pieces are lowered, thereby completely opening the direct passages between the valve-seats and the respective orifices, the cylinder being provided with admission and exhaust orifices situated exactly oppositethe said seats, each push-piece being moved in a transversedirection to the flow of gas between the seat and the respective orifice, and each ball being free to'move in the transverse direction as well. as in the direction of this flow, for the purpose set forth.

4. In an internal combustion engine, a

ina substantially vertical direction, the said engine valves being adapted to open by the actlon of gravity when the respective pushpleces are lowered, thereby completely openmg the direct passages between the valveseats and the respective orifices, the cylinder being provided with admission and exhaust orifices situated exactly opposite the said seats, each push-piece being moved in a transverse directionv to the flow of gas between the seat and the respective orifice, and each ball being free to move in the transverse direction aswell as in the direction of this flow, for the purpose set forth.

5. In an internal combustion engine, a power cylinder, a piston, engine valvesconstituted by balls, seats formed in the walls of the cylinder and cooperating with the said balls, a push-piece for each ball having a reciprocating motion and adapted to impel the ball upon its seat and to hold it in position, a sleeve disposed upon the end of the said push-piece farthest from the said ball,

the said push-piece being provided with longitudinal ribs and having an intermittent rotation, a lever oscillating at regular intervals, a fixed axle having the said lever mounted thereoin' the latter being adapted to bear at timesupon the grooves of the said,

sleeve for opening the valve,vand at other times to engage in the spaces between the saidv ribs While the said valve is closed.

6. In an internal combustion engine, a power cylinder, a piston, engine valves constituted by balls, seats formed in the walls of the cylinder and cooperating with the said balls, a push-piece for each ball having areciprocating motion and adapted to im-Y pel the ball upon its seat and to hold it in position, a sleeve disposed upon the end of the said push-piece farthest from the said vball, the said push-piece being provided with provided with threads forming on part of the profile grooves of approximately circular shape which are connected together by grooves of screw-threadv form.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I'have signed my name in presence of a subscribing witness.

HENRI COLNO'I. s Witness: f

Mmmrcn Roux. 

